Boo!
by rationalbookworm
Summary: There was a little girl on his doorstep. AU One shot.
**A guest left a review on Breath Of Life that I should do more oneshots, so here you go! Honestly there might be a few more oneshots coming. I just started a new job that gives me a lot of time to just fuck around (which is where I wrote this) so I might write more. Who knows with me?**

 **Oh, btw, this was a prompt from that old prompt app I used way back when I first started posting here.**

 **Prompt: Every time a gifted toddler says boo, the weather changes.**

There was a little girl on his doorstep. In little overalls and little sneakers and little pigtails. Even the teddy bear she clutched was little. Tony never knew someone could be so small. Or so skinny. That couldn't be healthy. Pinned to her overalls was a note in sharp violent writing and Tony knelt down, giving the girl what he hoped was a reassuring smile as he gently took it off her.

 _I can't do this anymore. She's your problem now._

Well then. Tony sighed and looked back at the little girl who refused to look at him. Trembling and clutching her bear like a lifeline, her eyes stayed trained on the ground. The little backpack strapped to her shoulders had what appeared to be a Manila envelope sticking out the top but not much else. No other bags lay at her feet or around the corner when he leaned out to see if anyone was around. With a sigh he admitted to himself that he was on his own on this one.

"Come on in, squirt," he told the girl, stepping to the side to let her in. "Let's see what you've got there."

Once they were inside, out of the California summer heat, he gently took the pack from her, setting it aside as he took out the large envelope. It weighed more than he expected, and was about the size of the documents Pepper made him sign. His name was written on the front in the same hand as the note. With some trepidation, Tony opened it and carefully extracted several documents. On top was a birth certificate for Charlotte Maria Farrow. His name was on the line indicating he was the father. He swallowed hard as he glanced at the other pages that told him the mother was giving up all parental rights.

He was now a single parent.

Maybe.

Like hell was he going to just take the word of what was probably a one night stand that he couldn't even remember. But there was still the matter of the scared little girl standing in his foyer with a backpack and teddy and no other belongings looking like she could use a good meal or twenty. With a sigh he came to the conclusion that, his child or not, his own conscience would allow him to simply walk away. What a day for it to start speaking up.

"Okay, kid, how about we go down to the lab and start work on a little..." What do you explain a paternity test to a toddler? "...an experiment. Then we can get some lunch and maybe do a little online shopping? You old enough for McDonald's?"

That managed to bring the big brown eyes (that were startlingly like his own) up to his face, "Fench fies?"

Despite himself, Tony found himself smiling as he took her tiny hand to lead her down to his lab, "Yeah kid. French fries."

* * *

So he had a kid now. JARVIS's test did not lie. Charlotte Maria Farrow was now Charlotte Maria Stark, officially. Somehow Pepper (after coming down from the shock) had managed to keep it from all the press. Tony wasn't really sure how but it did cement the fact that Pepper was terrifying in his mind. Mental not: never piss off Pepper.

His PA was now taking it upon herself to buy anything and everything a toddler could need before he could ask, though she somehow realized the fun stuff should be left up to those a little more immature. Tony never realized how much fun it could be to pick out doll houses and tea sets and hot wheels (because Charlie liked all toys, no matter gender preferences). Almost as fun as sitting here on the floor of Charlie's newly furnished bedroom playing dress up and house and whatever random game the three-year-old could come up with. They even convinced Rhodey to play along a couple times when he visited.

It was a couple months after Charlie had shown up on his doorstep and she was looking much healthier and happier. It helped that a mad game of hide-and-seek/tag was currently taking place within the Malibu mansion. Tony was creeping along, following the telltale giggles that couldn't quite be muffled by little hands. She was just around the corner, probably pressed against the counter in the kitchen, waiting anxiously.

Jumping around the corner, Tony reached out to tickle her sides, "Boo!"

With a high-pitched squeal, she was off, bare feet slapping against tile as she darted out the back door. He took a moment to let her get a head start and mentally thanked God that he remembered last week to have the pool gated off so she couldn't fall in when he wasn't looking. He made his way outside, grinning when he saw her feet sticking out from under the plastic slide he had bought her.

"Boo!" he shouted again as he grabbed her legs to gently pull her out of hiding, making her giggle maniacally.

"My tu'n! My tu'n!" Tony smiled at her inability to use the letter r and made a show of hiding behind the row of hedges. It only took a few minutes for a little head to poke out through the bottom with a large grin, "Boo!"

The sudden roll of thunder made him jump as the blue sky seemed to disappear behind dark rain clouds. He frowned at the sky. There was no way the weather could change that drastically in just a second. A tug on his pant leg brought his attention back down to his daughter who was pouting at him.

"Boo, Daddy! Boo!"

Just as suddenly as the thunder storm rolled in, hurricane winds were whipping at their clothes and nearly knocking them over, only to be replaced a second later by fog blinding them to their surroundings. Tony blinked at his daughter, his genius mind coming up with an explanation, the only logical one he could think of really, given the circumstances. But the scientist in him refused to jump to conclusions. He had to test this. Giving his daughter a smile, he quickly hurried to the tree in the corner of the grassy area of his backyard and pretended to hide behind it. A minute later, Charlie found him with a wide smile, calling their customary, "Boo!"

Immediately, the crazy weather cleared, bringing back the blinding sun and warm heat he had been used to. He grinned down at Charlie, scooped her up to give her cuddles. Looked like his daughter was a mutant. Awesome.


End file.
